Friday, May 29, 2015

My grandmother wasn't quite ready to give up writing in a diary - we should have bought her a new one! I'm not sure that anyone ever knew she kept this one. The rest
of the entries are on a Memorandum page and written around the margins of the
calendar in the back. When there was no more room, she stopped writing. As the new year began, she was in Van Buren, staying with Grandma Comstock.

Monday,
4th. Came home from Van
Buren. Kay’s birthday dinner at
JoEllen’s. I ate with them.

I was 20.

Tues.
5th. Snowing. Did go to Missionary Circle.

Wed.
6th. Choir practice

Thurs.
7th, went to bank to deposit Interest checks

Fri.
8 – Jo Ellen’s 3 to 6 p.m.

Must have been babysitting with JoAnn and Laurie

Sun.
10 – Nora’s & my party at Maude’s

That was surely in Van Buren - she didn't say how and when, but must have just gone down for the event. Nora Comstock Rainwater was 71 - she and I share the same birthday - January 4th. My grandmother's birthday wasn't until January 16th and was two years older - age 73 that year.

Tues.
12 – Wed. Anniversary. 1 to 6 p.m. at JoEllen’s.

My grandparents married January 12, 1908. Until you are widowed, you don't realize that the Anniversary still occurs - even when no one else remembers it.

Wed.
13 – Shopped with JoEllen. Lunch at Coffee Cup.

Thurs. Club party at Mrs. Nix.

Fri.
15 – Went to Rogers. P.M. at JoEllen’s 1
to 6.

Sat.
16 – Eddy Hight funeral.

Eddy Hight was killed on a motorbike he got as a Christmas gift - I think he was about sixteen.. Eddy's Dad had worked for my Dad; they went to church with us; his brother had helped my grandmother with yard work.

Sun.
Mon. Tues. Baby sat at McKim’s.

I'm not sure why she was needed at Mom's so much at this time. I wonder if Mom was having to work some at the office.

Thurs.
21 – Baby sat 6:30 to 9:30 P.M.

Sat.
23 – Graydon spent night.

Mon.
25 – Mattie called. John died.

John King, Aunt Mattie’s
son. Six of Aunt Mattie’s eleven children
had died before her death in 1961. Four
of them were her four youngest; her three sons all died before Aunt Mattie did.
Nora was visiting her sister in
Tahlequah, 16 Feb 1962. Mattie got up in
the night and went to the bathroom but didn’t come out – when Nora went to
check on her, she found her dead.

Sun.
24 – Dinner at McKim’s

Mon.
25 – Bought Car License

Tues.
26 – My birthday. Baby sat at JoEllen’s
all day.

Wed.
27 – Got hair done.

Thurs.
28 – Went to Burleson’s

Probably Clare's mother's.

Fri.
29th – Went to Van Buren with K.M.

Sat.
– Went to Siloam Springs with Clare. She &
Graydon spent night with me.

I wonder if this is about
the time Graydon’s family moved to Siloam Springs. This was the last entry.

Monday, May 18, 2015

This was the last month for the diary but she added notes which I'll put in a final post.

December
1

A.M.
Worked on aprons. P.M. Missionary
meeting at Merle Littrell’s.

I'm not positive but I believe this was the year she made matching aprons for the young granddaughters - Mary Jane, JoAnn, Mary Alice, and Laurie - for their Christmas gift. They had cross-stitch patterns on checked gingham. Wonder of any of them still have them?

December
2

Wednesday. Caught up on paper work, attended to business
down town. Choir practice.

December
3

Thurs. A.M. washed and worked on pajamas and
aprons. Drove to Rogers, afternoon.

December
4

Friday. Went to Rogers to get glasses fixed up. Cooked lunch and baby sat at JoEllen’s.

December
5

Saturday. Worked on pajamas.

December
6

Sunday. Had dinner with K.M. & LaVonne. A called choir practice at night.

She always packed Christmas goodies for her sons that lived away - even if they were planning to be in Springdale for Christmas.. I believe she had started that when they were away in World War II. After she died, my mother continued to send a box of goodies to her brothers.

December
9

Wednesday. Mailed pkgs to Jay & to Becky and
Ike. Got shampoo & set.

Her hair was important to her - I don't believe she ever failed to note a beauty appointment. I know that she was frustrated with her own attempts and really enjoyed having someone else wash and set her hair. I started getting some gray in my dark hair by about age 35 - she asked me one day, "Why don't you do something about that?" I responded to her, "You didn't color your hair and it's beautiful now, why would I bother?" She responded, "Oh yes I did, I colored my hair for years.". I was stunned - still never colored my hair, tho....

December
10

Thurs. Worked at Handwork sale A.M. P.M. went to Fayetteville Club Christmas
party at Bessies’s

Have no clue about the Fayetteville Club or Bessie.

December
11

Friday. Opened up for CWF sale.

This must have been the Christmas bazaar that the church held just before Christmas every year.

December
12

Started
sale again. Drove to Rogers to get my
glasses.

December
13

Sunday. Ike’s birthday. Gave Christmas Cantata.

Ike was 35. No, she didn't give him the Christmas Cantata! The choir at First Christian Church gave the cantata.

Guess she stayed with Don, David, Mary Alice, JoAnn and Laurie. Don would have plenty old enough to stay alone but probably not reliable enough to take care of the young ones.

December
20

G.C.’s
went home. I went to VB for Grandma’s
Christmas Party. Spent night at Letty’s.

Translation: the Graydon Comstocks went home to Tulsa. Mammaw went to Van Buren, but spent the night with Aunt Let and Uncle Cy who lived in Fayetteville. She probably drove to their house and rode with them to Van Buren.

December
21

Monday. Came home from Letty’s

December
22 - Tues.

December
23 - Wednesday

December
24

Thurs.
night. Becky and Ike came.

From Kansas City

December
25

Friday. Christmas.
21 for dinner.

Now we know why she didn't have time to write much in the previous days...

December
26

Sat. Becky, Ike and I went to V.B. Stopped at cemetery. Had dinner with Ira & Minnie.

December
27

Sunday. Went to church. JoEllen & Joe took us to Country Club for
dinner. P.M. Becky & Ike went home.

December
28

Monday. Went to V.B. to spend a week with Grandma.

So Aunt Maude could spend time with her own family. None of Grandma's other children ever did this.

December
29 - Tuesday

December
30

Wed. P.M. Grandma and I went to Nora’s to sew and
to pick up milk at market.

December
31 - Thursday.

She never had time to write much when she stayed with Grandma - but maybe she didn't take her diary and caught up later.

Rest of the notes are on a
Memorandum page and written around the margins of the calendar in the
back. The book was full, but she didn’t
seem quite ready to stop! We should have
bought her another diary!

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Mammaw's Diary

My grandmother kept a diary for a five-year window of her life. I am posting the contents here for my cousins and other family members, as well as those other persons mentioned in her entries. Notes in italics are my annotations. She names a number of friends and church members that I did not know.

About Me

I have done family research and genealogy for over twenty years. I have a webpage, Leaves of the Tree, and another Blog of the same name which discusses some of the conflicts, corrections to established genealogies, brick walls, etc.

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